Bostobrick vs Dorrigo

Bostobrick is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 56 in Dorrigo. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Dorrigo, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Dorrigo: a median of $630,000, against $480,000 in Bostobrick, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Bostobrick tends to suit share households and buyers on a tighter budget, while Dorrigo suits people living alone and older residents.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Dorrigo

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (8 vs 1)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
  • But Bostobrick is already more of a family suburb (52% vs 39%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Bostobrick

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($480,000 vs $630,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Bostobrick

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (18% vs 32%)
  • has cheaper rent ($175/wk vs $300/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Dorrigo

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (21/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (374 min vs 399 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (547.4 km vs 565.5 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Dorrigo

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (21/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (35% vs 24%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Bostobrick and Dorrigo drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Walkability 0 / 21
Bostobrick — Walkability: 0/100 Dorrigo — Walkability: 21/100
Safety 33 / 30
Bostobrick — Safety: 33/100 Dorrigo — Safety: 30/100
Low fire risk 14 / 100
Bostobrick — Low fire risk: 14/100 Dorrigo — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Dorrigo has more residents (1,214 vs 132); Dorrigo rents higher ($300/wk vs $175/wk).

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Population 132 1,214
+820% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -2.9% +1.9%
Median age 49 56
Median household income $50,648/yr
+5% vs other
 $48,100/yr
Median weekly rent $175/wk $300/wk
+71% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bostobrick Dorrigo
0-4 3.0% / 4.5%
Bostobrick — 0-4: 3.0% Dorrigo — 0-4: 4.5%
5-14 14.4% / 10.0%
Bostobrick — 5-14: 14.4% Dorrigo — 5-14: 10.0%
15-19 — / 4.3%
Bostobrick — 15-19: not among its largest Dorrigo — 15-19: 4.3%
20-24 6.8% / 2.5%
Bostobrick — 20-24: 6.8% Dorrigo — 20-24: 2.5%
25-34 9.8% / 7.2%
Bostobrick — 25-34: 9.8% Dorrigo — 25-34: 7.2%
35-44 6.8% / 7.4%
Bostobrick — 35-44: 6.8% Dorrigo — 35-44: 7.4%
45-54 19.7% / 11.6%
Bostobrick — 45-54: 19.7% Dorrigo — 45-54: 11.6%
55-64 18.9% / 16.9%
Bostobrick — 55-64: 18.9% Dorrigo — 55-64: 16.9%
65-74 16.7% / 16.6%
Bostobrick — 65-74: 16.7% Dorrigo — 65-74: 16.6%
75-84 3.0% / 13.1%
Bostobrick — 75-84: 3.0% Dorrigo — 75-84: 13.1%
85+ 4.5% / 5.0%
Bostobrick — 85+: 4.5% Dorrigo — 85+: 5.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bostobrick 37.1% lone person
Bostobrick — Lone Person: 37.1% Bostobrick — Couple Families: 42.9% Bostobrick — One Parent Families: 8.6% Bostobrick — Group Household: 11.4% Bostobrick — Other Families: 0.0%
Dorrigo 57.2% lone person
Dorrigo — Lone Person: 57.2% Dorrigo — Couple Families: 23.3% Dorrigo — One Parent Families: 16.0% Dorrigo — Group Household: 2.7% Dorrigo — Other Families: 0.8%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bostobrick 16.3% renting
Bostobrick — Owned Outright: 58.1% Bostobrick — Mortgage: 25.6% Bostobrick — Renting: 16.3%
Dorrigo 21.8% renting
Dorrigo — Owned Outright: 56.9% Dorrigo — Mortgage: 21.3% Dorrigo — Renting: 21.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Bostobrick Dorrigo
England 2.3% / 4.7%
Bostobrick — England: 2.3% Dorrigo — England: 4.7%
Philippines 3.0% / 0.5%
Bostobrick — Philippines: 3.0% Dorrigo — Philippines: 0.5%
New Zealand — / 1.3%
Bostobrick — New Zealand: not among its largest Dorrigo — New Zealand: 1.3%
Germany — / 1.2%
Bostobrick — Germany: not among its largest Dorrigo — Germany: 1.2%
South Africa — / 0.7%
Bostobrick — South Africa: not among its largest Dorrigo — South Africa: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.7%).

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Certificate III & IV 19.7% / 18.0%
Bostobrick — Certificate III & IV: 19.7% Dorrigo — Certificate III & IV: 18.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.8% / 6.7%
Bostobrick — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.8% Dorrigo — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.7%
Bachelor Degree 7.6% / 8.2%
Bostobrick — Bachelor Degree: 7.6% Dorrigo — Bachelor Degree: 8.2%
Postgraduate Degree — / 2.6%
Bostobrick — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Dorrigo — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 2.6%
Bostobrick — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Dorrigo — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bostobrick 100.0% houses
Bostobrick — Houses: 100.0% Bostobrick — Flats / Apartments: 0.0% Bostobrick — Townhouses: 0.0%
Dorrigo 93.4% houses
Dorrigo — Houses: 93.4% Dorrigo — Flats / Apartments: 3.7% Dorrigo — Townhouses: 2.9%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Median house price $480,000 $630,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $262,500
Typical days to sell (houses) — 36 days
from 17 sales

Zoning mix

Bostobrick has more land zoned for conservation (29% vs 1%); Dorrigo has more rural and farming land (89% vs 71%).

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Rural and farming 71% 89%
Environmental 29% 1%
Residential 0% 7%
Parks and recreation 0% 1%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Bostobrick Dorrigo
New dwellings approved 40
across Bellingen
same for both
Approvals change year on year +12%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Bostobrick Dorrigo
House price Higher than 14% of NSW Higher than 21% of NSW
Income Higher than 12% of NSW Higher than 9% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 71% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 27% of NSW Higher than 70% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 45% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 37% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 42% of NSW Higher than 78% of NSW

Liveability

Dorrigo is more walkable (21 vs 0).

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Grade — C
Score — 44/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Bostobrick carries more bushfire risk (86 vs 0).

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Bushfire High
86/100
 None
0/100
Crime Moderate
67/100
 High
70/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Inside the suburb 0 3
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Bostobrick

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Dorrigo

  • Dorrigo Public School Government · Primary above peers
  • Mount St John Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Dorrigo High School Government · Secondary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 5
Parks & reserves 1 8
Childcare 0 1
GPs 0 3
Pharmacies 0 1
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 13 14

Mobility

Bostobrick sits further from the CBD (565.5 km vs 547.4 km).

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Walkability score 0/100 21/100
Distance to Sydney 565.5 km
+3% vs other
 547.4 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 399 min 374 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 2453
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 55
postcode 2453
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Car (driver) 64.7% / 67.2%
Bostobrick — Car (driver): 64.7% Dorrigo — Car (driver): 67.2%
Worked from Home 27.5% / 16.9%
Bostobrick — Worked from Home: 27.5% Dorrigo — Worked from Home: 16.9%
Walked Only 7.8% / 8.1%
Bostobrick — Walked Only: 7.8% Dorrigo — Walked Only: 8.1%
Car (passenger) — / 6.2%
Bostobrick — Car (passenger): not among its largest Dorrigo — Car (passenger): 6.2%
Bicycle — / 1.6%
Bostobrick — Bicycle: not among its largest Dorrigo — Bicycle: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (67.2%).

Setting

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Elevation 805 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 744 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 47.4 km 37.2 km

NBN connectivity

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Connectivity score 28/100 71/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
63 premises
 38%
813 premises

Climate

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Annual rainfall 1,827 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Average residential rate $1,592/yr
same for both
Council Bellingen
same for both

Federal electorate

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Division Cowper
same for both
Member Pat Conaghan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bostobrick Dorrigo
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bostobrick

Affordable Rural

Dorrigo

Acreage Affordable Retirees River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bostobrick

Bostobrick vs North Dorrigo Bostobrick vs Fernbrook Bostobrick vs Deer Vale Bostobrick vs Tyringham

Other comparisons with Dorrigo

Dorrigo vs North Dorrigo Dorrigo vs Megan Dorrigo vs Fernbrook Dorrigo vs Bielsdown Hills Dorrigo vs Dorrigo Mountain
Full data on Bostobrick Full data on Dorrigo
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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